Three Ways to Beat Burnout

Burnout is widespread today — especially among high-achievers. One could say it’s an epidemic in the modern workplace. (See the stats table at the bottom of this post for details.)

How do we slay this burnout beast? There are three primary weapons at our disposal, but first we need to understand exactly what it is we’re up against.

What Is Burnout? According to psychologist and counselor Dr. Audrey Canaff, “Job burnout is a response to work stress that leaves you feeling powerless, hopeless, fatigued, drained, and frustrated.” And a team of psychologists in a major study on this issue reports that “Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job, and is defined by the three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy.” By contrast, its counterpoint is engagement, which is characterized by energy, involvement, and efficacy at work.

In today’s hyper-competitive (and ailing) economy, we can easily fall prey to burnout that comes from information overload, “perpetual busyness,” and constantly racing against the clock. In his book Crazy Busy, Edward Hallowell writes that being too busy can become a habit so entrenched that it makes us slaves to a lifestyle we don’t like, but can’t escape: “You can be so busy that you don’t even take the time to decide what actually does matter the most to you, let alone make the time to do it.” What’s more, many of us “get lost in work” while watching our health, relationships, and outside interests suffer.

Burnout clearly takes a hefty toll — on job satisfaction, performance, and retention, not to mention our health and well-being. Managers overlook the burnout problem at their peril. A century ago, Robert Yerkes and John Dodson definitively showed that there is a “tipping point” where stress detracts from performance.

So how do we slay this beast?

Weapon #1: Managing Your Work Of course, the first weapon at our disposal to address burnout is managing our work. Here, the battle tends to be fought on the following fronts:

Over-commitment: this often shows up as doing too may things, which often comes from an inability — or lack of resolve — to draw boundaries or say “no,” or from being unrealistic about what it will take to complete projects.

Resource issues: not having enough resources and/or not using them effectively (e.g., via delegation).

Focus problems: focusing on things that are urgent but not important — and on things that just “come up” (e.g., simply responding to emails coming in versus managing your time according to your priorities); or procrastinating on things that are difficult.

Sometimes we are great at harnessing the practices of world-class planning and execution when it comes to our organizations but lousy at employing those practices in our own lives and work.

Weapon #2: Embracing Renewal Our second weapon in this war is renewal. Truth be told, hard work is a critical component of success. So we must find ways to renew, restore, and rejuvenate along the way. Ask yourself these questions:

Daily renewal: How do you start your day? Do you have a morning, mid-day, and evening routine that allows for breaks and reflection, or do you strive to function effectively with the pedal to the metal all the time? Do you exercise, get enough sleep, eat well, and otherwise stay healthy?

Long-term renewal: Do you take the time to travel and rest? Do you actually take your vacation time and fill it with adventure, enjoyment, and rest? Do you take “sabbaticals” or take advantage of the transition periods in between jobs?

Sanctuary: Do you have a place of refuge or a joyful activity you do that allows you to find peace and quiet for deep reflection — whether through prayer, meditation, yoga, hiking in the woods, jogging on a deserted road, listening to music, or whatever else brings you that reprieve?

One entrepreneur we interviewed for our book, Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives, takes 25 work-week days (not holidays or vacation days) each year to hike, bike, or enjoy activities on the water in Seattle. He calls this his own “secret office” where he calms his mind and does his best creative thinking, resulting in his best business ideas.

Weapon #3: Doing “the Right Work”

The third weapon is by far the most neglected: doing the right work and infusing our lives and work with meaning, service, and significance. One of the causes of burnout, it turns out, is not filling our lives up with deeper meaning and genuine connection with others.

Ask yourself this: Are your work and life infused with purpose and fulfillment? Do you have a vision of the good life that you’re working toward? Do you bring your values, strengths, and passions to work or leave them at home?

There is an interesting convergence of thinking here. Author and educator Parker Palmer defines burnout as a “state of emptiness.” Best-selling author Richard Leider talks about the “rustout syndrome” that has consumed many of us. (See text box at right.) Business leader, social entrepreneur, and best-selling author Bob Buford talks about the “smoldering discontent” that many workers feel today, realizing they have spent decades building lives of success but not of significance.

What does this mean in practice? First, find ways to serve every day — creatively serving (in ways big or small) your family, workplace, community, nation, world, and/or a cause. We call this “pervasive service.” Second, choose organizations to work for with the right mission and culture that fits who you are. Third, “entrepreneur” your job: take ownership of your situation and creatively find ways to integrate your values, strengths, and passions into your work — while also meeting your performance expectations — so that you achieve not only success but also significance.

A 2006 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) poll discovered that “burnout from current job” and “difficulty balancing work/life issues” were among the leading reasons employees voluntarily leave their organizations, showing up as #7 and #13 respectively on a list of 25 possible reasons.

The U.S. worker has the least vacation time of any modern developed society.

A third of workers say they check in with the office while on vacation.

37% of all working dads reported that they would consider taking a new job with less pay if it offered better work/life balance.

According to a 2005 FORTUNE poll, 49% of the Fortune 500 executives surveyed are self-described workaholics. Still, there is some good news:

98% say they’re sympathetic to requests from their direct reports for a better work/life balance.

73% believe it’s possible to restructure senior management jobs in ways that increase productivity and make more time available outside the office.

87% believe that companies that do so will have a competitive advantage.

In a 2006 report by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a fifth of high earners surveyed had “extreme jobs“: logging 60 or more hours a week, many traveling regularly and maintaining fast-paced and unpredictable schedules that place them on call virtually around the clock.

Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek are founding partners of New Mountain Ventures, an entrepreneurial leadership development company, and co-authors of Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives. Previously, Gregg founded and ran Vanourek Consulting Solutions, helped launch an online education company, and co-wrote a book on charter schools. Christopher is also a visiting lecturer and director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative at Duke University and co-founder and chairman of Smarthinking, an online tutoring provider.